News
Friday, September 10, 2010
Flooding has hurt anti-terror fight, says Haqqani* Pakistan’s ambassador to US says going after extremists in NWA will depend on military’s continuing capabilities
WASHINGTON: Massive flooding that has submerged vast swaths of Pakistan has stretched thin the Pakistani military and will hamper its fight against terrorists, the country’s ambassador to the US said on Wednesday.
The military’s resources, particularly its limited supply of helicopters, are busy with flood relief, Husain Haqqani said, adding that going after extremists in North Waziristan or other terrorist havens will depend on the military’s continuing capabilities.
US military leaders have pressed Pakistan to move into North Waziristan’s lawless border region where insurgents launch attacks into Afghanistan and al Qaeda leaders find sanctuary. Such a move has not yet happened.
Pakistan has asked the US for additional military equipment and training, and there are a number of pending requests, Haqqani told The Associated Press in an interview. But he said his chief goal now is to ensure that Pakistan receives reconstruction and other aid to help recover from the flooding.
He said he worries that money will be diverted from previously approved spending, while the country needs new allocations to rebuild bridges and other facilities, prevent diseases, restore crops and disposal of dead livestock.
Still, Haqqani and senior defence leaders say that Pakistan has continued its operations against al Qaeda in the west and northwest of Pakistan.
Vice Admiral Michael A LeFever, the top US military officer in Pakistan, said on Wednesday that the government in Islamabad was still trying to get its arms around the true impact of the flooding disaster, which has left more than 1,700 dead but millions destitute and vulnerable to disease.
“It’s like watching a tsunami wave in slow motion to see the devastation that’s still occurring,” LeFever told reporters.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said last week that any move by Pakistan to conduct operations in North Waziristan would likely to be delayed “for some time”. ap
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk